Participants from around the world joined the Official Closing ceremony of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017 at the Palace of Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland. The event reviewed the year´s main achievements and discussed the roadmap for advancing the contribution of tourism towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

“2017, the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, has been a unique opportunity for all of us to come together to promote the contribution of tourism to shape a better future for people and planet and to contribute to making this world a better place.“ said UNWTO Secretary General, Taleb Rifai, opening of the event. “We count on you as we embark on this exciting new journey towards 2030. I trust that together, as a sector, as people with the same vision and commitment, we will go far.” he added.

“Sustainability remains the bedrock of our activity. We will continue to drive the conversation on planning for and managing tourism growth, define a sector-wide response to climate change, work on how the sector can reduce illegal trade in wildlife and contribute to inclusive job creation” said Gloria Guevara, President and CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)

“It is so important that we succeed in making tourism sustainable by making sustainable tourism economically viable, culturally accepted, and universally practiced.” said Michael Møller, Director General, United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG). “The United Nations World Tourism Organization deserves great credit for tackling this head on throughout this past year.” he added.

“I personally believe that the future of tourism lies in enabling ICT capacities. Accordingly, we should harness those powers for smart tourism… I believe that the way forward in our journey to 2030, is smart tourism. I call on all of you to guide me and support me in this endeavor” said Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman, Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization in Jordan.

”In the future, a strong international cooperation of all relevant actors involved in the tourism sector should become the driving force to promote sustainable tourism and to implement tourism policies efficiently” said Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch, State Secretary Economic Affairs (SECO) of Switzerland.

Addressing the event was also HM King Simeon II, Special Ambassador of the IY2017 who stressed the importance of public/private partnerships for sustainable tourism.

The panel discussions counted with the participation of the Ministers of Tourism of Costa Rica, Mauricio Ventura, Jamaica, Edmund Bartlett and Kenya, Najib Balala alongside representatives of IY2017 partners such All Nippon Airways, Amadeus, the Balearic Islands Tourism Agency, ECPAT International, the Institute for Tourism and Leisure, HTW Chur University in Switzerland, Minube, Myclimate, PRMEDIACO and the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority in the United Arab Emirates.

As part of the legacy of the IY2017, UNWTO presented the results of the ‘Tourism and SDGs’ Report developed in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The report which looks into the links between tourism and the SDGs in national policies as well as private sector strategies shows the relevance for the sector of Goals 1 (No Poverty), 4 (Quality Education), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), 13 (Climate Action), 14 (Life Below Water) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

On the occasion, UNWTO launched the Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals Programme as a legacy of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017. The Programme aims at advocating for the contribution of sustainable tourism´s to the 17 SDGs and encouraging the full integration of tourism and the SDGs in national, regional and global agendas. It includes the future ‘Tourism and SDGs’ online platform – a co-creation space to inspire and empower the tourism sector to act  –  developed by UNWTO with the support of SECO and an Ambassadors Initiative.

The Tourism and SDGs Ambassadors designated on the occasion include HE Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, President of Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, the President of Costa Rica, HE Luis Guillermo Solís, Mr. Huayong Ge, President of UnionPay China; Dr Talal Abu Ghazaleh, Chairman of the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization and Dr Michael Frenzel, President of the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry.

The United Nations political chief told the Security Council Tuesday that the UN Secretariat is not yet in a position to confirm whether the ballistic missiles launched at the Saudi cities of Yanbu and Riyadh were Iranian Qiam-1 missiles, as assessed by Saudi authorities.

“Almost two years after Implementation Day of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), we are at a critical crossroads,” Under-Secretary-General Jeffrey Feltman told the Council.

On 20 July 2015, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2231 (2015) endorsing the JCPOA. The action plan, between the Council’s five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States), plus Germany, the European Union (EU) and Iran, set out rigorous mechanisms for monitoring limits on Iran’s nuclear programme, while paving the way for lifting UN sanctions against the country.

Mr. Feltman recalled that since January 2016 the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had reported to the Council nine times that Iran is adhering to its nuclear-related obligations. At the same time, in October 2017 the President of the United States decided not to certify to Congress that Iran was complying with the agreement.

“This decision has regrettably created considerable uncertainty about the future of the JCPOA,” he said, noting that the UN the Secretary-General is reassured that the US, during the recent 7th meeting of the Joint Commission, together with other participants, expressed its continued adherence to its commitments.

“Today’s meeting is an important opportunity to reflect carefully on what has been achieved and the challenges that lay ahead,” Mr. Feltman continued, presenting the main findings of the UN Secretary-General’s fourth report on the implementation of the provisions contained in annex B to resolution 2231.

Regarding the supply, sale or transfer to Iran of nuclear-related items undertaken in violation of the provisions of resolution 2231, Mr. Feltman said that the Secretary-General has again not received any report of such flows.

As for the implementation of ballistic missile-related provisions, Mr. Feltman said the report contained preliminary observations indicating that the two missiles launched at the Saudi cities of Yanbu and Riyadh had similar features which suggested a common origin, and are consistent with missiles of the Scud family and had features known to be consistent with the Qiam-1 missile.

One of the missiles bore castings similar to that of an Iranian entity on the list maintained pursuant to resolution 2231, he added.

In terms of restrictions on arms-related transfers, the Secretariat is confident that close to 900 of the assault rifles seized by the United States in March 2016 are identical to those seized by France also in the same month, which the Secretariat had assessed were of Iranian origin and shipped from Iran, Mr. Feltman said.

The Secretariat is also confident that half of the 200 rocket propelled grenade launchers had characteristics similar to Iranian-produced RPG launchers.

Further, the Secretariat had received information on an unmanned surface vessel (USV) laden with explosives allegedly used against the Saudi-led coalition and had the opportunity to examine parts of its guidance and detonation systems, which included a computer terminal with a dual English/Farsi keyboard and characteristics similar to those of Iranian-produced terminals.

The Secretariat was also requested to examine two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), reportedly recovered in Yemen after Implementation Day. One of the UAVs – which Saudi authorities ascertain was similar to that of the Iranian-made Ababil-II – is similar to other drones reportedly seized in Yemen brought to our attention by the United Arab Emirates, Mr. Feltman said.

The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Board of Directors has approved a $25 million policy-based grant to continue ongoing efforts to improve the investment climate in the Kyrgyz Republic and encourage the private sector to contribute more effectively to the country’s growth. The grant is being provided under subprogram 3 of the Second Investment Climate Improvement Program (Second ICIP).

“The private sector has a significant role to play in boosting the Kyrgyz economy through diversified economic growth and higher value-added job creation,” said Priyanka Sood, Senior Financial Sector Specialist at ADB. “ADB’s grant will increase access to financial services for small businesses, improve prospects for private sector participation in developing infrastructure including through public-private partnerships (PPPs), diversify trade and investment, and increase transparency and ease of doing business. Together, these actions will make the country a more attractive place for investment and job creation.”

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are one of the biggest contributors to the Kyrgyz economy, comprising about 40% of the country’s gross domestic product and almost 20% of total employment. Subprogram 3 will help increase access to finance by reducing the risks of lending to SMEs including through operationalization of the State Guarantee Fund, while also expanding financial services among the underbanked segment of the population by expanding the use of mobile and internet payments for key public services. It will also support government efforts to further develop the country’s PPP program. The first PPP agreement was signed in August 2017 for the provision of hemodialysis services in Bishkek, Osh, and Jalalabad.

Additionally, subprogram 3 has provided support for the government’s efforts to diversify trade and investment destinations and sources. It will also help increase transparency and improve the ease of doing business in the country to incentivize private businesses to join the formal economy and encourage more private sector players—domestic and international—to do business in the Kyrgyz Republic.

These outputs build on ADB-supported reforms in 2015 and 2016 implemented under subprograms 1 and 2, which totaled over $65 million.